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Gold jewelry is beautiful but expensive. Therefore, it is important to take good care of your gold jewelry. Gold earrings do not tarnish but can become dull when they come into contact with makeup, creams, perfumes and other products used daily by most women. These products affect the brilliance of your costly gold. Cleaning gold earrings and other gold jewelry is an important part of regular maintenance. Clean your gold once a month to keep it looking its best and retain its value.

Items you will need

Warm water

Mild detergent

Strainer

Soft toothbrush

Soft cloth

Step 1

Make a bubble bath by putting a few drops of mild detergent into a bowl. Dish washing soaps such as Joy or Ivory work very well for cleaning gold jewelry. Add about 2 cups of warm water. Place your earrings in a small strainer and set the strainer into the water. Soak your earrings for about five minutes. You can soak them up to 15 minutes if your earrings are very dirty.

Step 2

Remove the strainer from the water. Clean your earrings, one at a time, with a soft toothbrush dipped into the detergent water. A toothbrush will get into any little cracks or crevices in your earrings and remove dirt.

Step 3

Close or cover the drain in your sink before rinsing your earrings. Return them to the strainer and rinse gently under a slow stream of warm, running water.

Step 4

Remove the earrings from the strainer and dry with a soft, lint-free cloth. An old, but clean, T-shirt makes a good drying cloth. Don’t use paper towels because they can scratch your jewelry.

Step 5

Store your gold earrings in a lined jewelry box with plenty of space. Not having other jewelry too close will prevent scratches. A jewelry box with dividers separating the jewelry will also work. Another way to take care of your gold earrings is to wrap them in plain tissue paper to protect the shine and prevent scratches. While durable, gold can become dented or scratched.

Step 6

Use commercially made cleaning solutions especially formulated for gold jewelry. This is an option if you prefer a ready-made cleaner. These products are available everywhere from jewelry stores to discount stores. Follow the cleaning directions on the products for best results. A commercially made polishing cloth is a helpful tool to have on hand. It is made of cotton and has one side for cleaning and another side for polishing.

Warnings

Avoid wearing gold earrings in the shower because soap and shampoo can dull the gold. Avoid wearing gold earrings in swimming pools because chlorine can discolor them.

References

Photo Credits

Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

About the Author

Megan Allen is an experienced freelance writer with a B.A. degree in English. She has several years of expertise in the following subjects: interior design, home improvement, crafting and genealogy, and has published articles online at eHow.